Old Clip Shared As PLA Giving Hyberbaric Oxygen Therapy To Indian Troops

A video is viral on Twitter with the claim that it shows People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China giving hyperbaric oxygen therapy to save injured Indian soldiers from the recent Galwan Valley clash.

This claim is false; we found that the clip is at least three years old and is not related to the recent clash between Indian and Chinese troops that left 20 Indian soldiers dead with reported casualties on the Chinese side.

According to initial reports, as many as 17 Indian soldiers lost their lives in an attempt to escape the Chinese troops in the steep terrain of the Galwan valley on June 15 and they eventually succumbed to sub zero temperatures.

China had also kept 10 Indian soldiers captive, which included two Majors and two Captains, who were later returned after prolonged discussion between Military-level talks.

Twitter user Eva Zhen (@evazhengll) posted the video with the caption: "#Galwan PLA casualty breakdown. 0 death 5 injured. PLA saved their n 10 Indian troops suffered from injuries at high altitude w/ assist of hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber in PLA post. While 17 Indian soldiers were left over night lack of oxygen in sub-zero temp due to late rescue."

According to reports, as many as 17 Indian soldiers lost their lives in an attempt to escape the Chinese troops in the steep terrain of the Galwan valley on June 15 and they eventually succumbed to sub zero temperatures. 

The 22-second long footage uploaded by Zheng showed a hyperbaric oxygen chamber being used to treat soldiers for brain injuries from being in high altitudes with low oxygen. The tweet was then deleted.

A day later Zheng uploaded a 3-second long version of the same clip with the caption: "On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. First Aid in border post, PLA Western Theatre Command - Hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber are equipped for treatment of head injuries to prevent brain herniation, cause of death on high altitude."

Zheng's tweet was also retweeted by journalists Swati Chaturvedi and Michael Safi.

Former Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted a video to show that Congress member Shashi Tharoor had liked Zheng's video as well.

Fact Check

BOOM did a keyword search with words like "hyperbaric oxygen chamber army" in Mandarin (高压氧舱 军队) on Google Videos, and came across the exact same video uploaded on a website called Bilibili.com with the title: 高压氧舱落户驻藏武警黄金部队 (English translation: Hyperbaric oxygen chamber installed in Golden Army of the Tibet Armed Police). According to the website, the video was uploaded on February 14, 2017.

BOOM could not independently verify the context behind the video. However, the date of upload makes it clear that the video is more than three years older than the deadly clash between the Indian and Chinese troops that took place on June 15, 2020, and therefore does not represent the aftermath of the clash as claimed by Zheng.

Guardian correspondent Michael Safi, who had earlier retweeted Zheng, put out a clarification on Twitter to state that the tweet was not made from an official, but from a propaganda account. "Figures can't be trusted," he wrote in the tweet.

Swati Chaturvedi, who had also shared Zheng's tweet, quote tweeted Safi saying, "I have also tweeted this and second Michael."